Switch enclosure,external operating handle,and handle locking assembly



March 17, 1970 K. P. HENRY 3,

SWITCH ENCLOSURE, EXTERNAL OPERATING HANDLE, AND HANDLE LOCKING ASSEMBLY Filed April 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 44 1 O I, 1"" I. ll| H A I 0 l h, n, n W V? a a/\ o I 8"" 1 I! 8 Z\ I -4- O 15 W van 'IHII 20 2 5 1 8 15 Fig 2 2% J In. i ll ATTORNEY K. P. HENRY 3, SWITCH ENCLOSURE, EXTERNAL OPERATING HANDLE, AND HANDLE LOCKING ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 17, 1970 Filed. April 23, 1968 ATTOR/VEX United States Patent US. Cl. 70-212 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present external handle is shown supported on the front wall of a switch enclosure cover for rotation about an axis generally normal to the front wall of the cover. Means in the cover are connected to the hub of the handle and are arranged to drive an actuating means or operator for a switch or enclosure door latch mechanism located within the enclosure. Upon rotation of the handle about its hub, its outer end swings in an arcuate path closely above and closely adjacent the front wall. The outer end has a cavity which is open toward the front wall and outwardly endwise of the handle through its outer end wall. Pivotally mounted within the cavity is a rockable detent plate which rocks outwardly of the cavity toward the front wall to an extended position and away from the front wall to a retracted position within the cavity. A notch in the front wall of the cover opens toward the handle and is positioned along the path of the outer end of the handle so as to clear the detent plate upon swinging of the handle with the detent plate in retracted position and so as to receive a latching finger on the detent plate and arrest swinging of the handle when the detent plate is moved to extended position while aligned with the notch. The detent plate has a portion extending outwardly from the outer end of the handle by which the detent plate can be rocked, against the bias of a retracting spring in the cavity, to extended position. The plate has an elongated slot which, upon rocking the plate to an extended position, is exposeed outwardly of the outer end of the handle for receiving one or more padlock hasps, any one of which, when in the slot, engages the outer end of the handle to prevent retraction of the detent plate from its extended position.

This invention relates to a switch enclosure, external operating handle, and handle locking assembly, and particularly to a simple and compact locking assembly composed of a minimum of moving parts which are simple in construction and well adapted, by both shape and arrangement for economical mass production and assembly.

Heretofore external operating handles have been provided on circuit breaker enclosures, and various types of handle locking means have been associated therewith for locking the handles in preselected positions, such as the Off position of the breakers. The locking means generally comprise moving parts which are mounted on a wall of the enclosure and are movable relative thereto to latching and unlatching positions relative to the handle. Some comprise detachable fixtures which can be connected to the handle, after the handle has been moved to the Off position, and then engaged with some cooperating latching means on the enclosure. Usually companion parts of the locking means are provided with holes through which the hasp of a padlock can be passed so as to secure the locking means in latched position, and thereby prevent movement of the handle to close the circuit breaker during servicing thereof or of the circuit supplied thereby.

In accordance with the present invention, the movable parts of the handle locking means or assembly are carried by the handle itself, preferably within a cavity in the outer end of the handle, for swinging with the handle as the handle is swung to On and 0E positions. These parts inelude a detent which is movable manually relative to the handle to an extended position wherein it engages stationary abutments on a wall of the enclosure, and which, when released, is spring returned to a retracted position Wherein it clears the abutments. The detent is arranged so that it can be locked in position relative to the handle by conventional padlocks when it is in the extended position, and thus can assure that the handle is locked in its preselected position.

Various specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation, on a reduced scale, of a switch enclosure, handle, and locking assembly, embodying the principles of the present invention, with the handle in On position, the Off position of the handle being indicated in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the enclosure with the handle in the On position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 4, showing the outer end of the handle in the Off position of the handle with the latching detent of the locking assembly in extended or latching position;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal rear view of the handle; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end elevation of the outer end of the handle and a section of the enclosure wall, showing the latching detent in latching position.

For the purposes of illustration, the handle is described herein as drivingly connected to an actuator within the enclosure which actuator is drivingly connected to a switch to be locked in Off position, its other applications being apparent from the illustrative example.

Referring to the drawings, the switch enclosure is shown as a cabinet 1 having side walls 2 and a cover 3 with a front wall 4. The enclosure is arranged to accommodate a circuit breaker or switch, not shown. Within the enclosure is an actuator 5 which may be in the form of a link pivotally mounted by a pivot 6 in the cover 4 and adapted for connection to a switch or circuit breaker in the enclosure for driving the switch to On and Off positions.

The cover is provided with a forwardly extending external boss 7 which is accommodated in hub of an external handle 8, as later described. The boss 7 has a bore in which is rotatably mounted a connector 9. An arm 10 is mounted on the inner end of the connector 9 for rotation therewith and carries a driving lug 11. The lug 11 is drivingly connected to the actuator or link 5 so as to rock the link 5 in opposite directions, respectively, about the pivot-6 to open and close a switch.

The connector 9 extends outwardly beyond the outer end of the boss 7 and at its outer end has a square connecting portion 12 which is received in a square socket 13 in a hub 14 of the handle 8 for connecting the handle 8 and connector 9 for rotation together about the axis of the connector and hub. The handle 8 extends radially of the hub and has an outer end 15. Upon rotation of the handle about the hub axis, the outer end portion 15 of the handle swings in a path slightly above and alongside the front wall 4 of the cover 3.

In order to lock the handle 8 in a preselected rotated position about its axis, which, in the illustrative example, is the Off position of a switch connected to the actuator 5, the outer end 15 of the handle 8 is provided with a suitable detent which is arranged for engagement with suitable abutments on a wall of the enclosure.

In the preferred form of the structure, the detent and all moving parts of the locking means are carrried by the operating handle 8 at its outer end 15. The outer end of the handle 8 has a cavity 16, as best illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8, in the form of a slit having dependent laterally spaced side walls 17 and a top wall 18. The cavity is open at one side toward the front wall 4 and at its end through the outer end 15 of the handle 8. A pivot 19. is mounted at its ends in .the walls 17. Mounted in the cavity 16 is a detent which may be in the form of a metal plate disposed between the walls 17. The detent 20 has an arcuate edge20a concentric with the wall 18 and closely adjacent thereto, and has a chordal edge 20b. The detent 20 also has an elongated slot 21 through which the pivot 19 extends for supporting the plate so that the plate can be moved, by combined rocking and lineal movement, to an extended position in a direction toward the front wall 4 'of the cover, and to retracted position in which the plate lies'within the cavity 16. The chordal edge 20b is generally parallel to the length of the slot 21. A biasing spring 22 is connected to the walls 17 and to the plate or detent,

20 and thus biases the detent to a retracted position wherein the pivot 19 is in the outer end of the slot 21. The plate is provided with a latching finger 23 which, in the retracted position of the plate, is disposed in the cavity 16, and in the extended position protrudes beyond the lower edge ofthe cavity 16 into a position to engage suitable abutments on the front wall 4 of the cover 3.

The detent 20 has an upper edge portion 24 which, in the retracted position of the detent, protrudes slightly outwardly from the outermost end 15 of the handle 8, and therefore can be engaged by a finger of an operator fo swinging the detent 20 to extended position.

.In order to effect latching engagement of the finger 23 of the detent with the front wall 4 of the cover 3, suit-' able abutments 25 are provided on the front wall 4. The abutments 25 are spaced apart from each other along the path of the swinging movement of the outer end 15 of the handle ,8, so that in the Oh position of the handle8, the detent finger 23 is aligned with the space between the abutments 25. The abutments 25 are arranged so that in the retracted position of the detent 20, they clear the finger 23. However, when the detent 20, while aligned with the space between the abutments 25, is moved to extended position, the finger 23 is received between the abutments 25, which, by engagement with the finger 23, latch the handle, 8 in Off position and constrain it from swinging about its hub axis.

In order to provide suitable abutments in the proper 1 position, a slot or depression 26 is formed in the cover 4 and is open in the direction toward the rear face of the. outer end 15 of the handle 8. The slot 26 extends generally radially of the axis of the hub 14 of the handle and is positioned circumferentially of the path of movement of the outer end 15 of the handle so as to be aligned with the finger 23 in the Off position of the handle 8. The side walls of this slot provide the abutments 25 for effecting the interlatching relation of the detent finger 23 with the front wall 4 of the cover 3.

Assuming the handle is in the On position, the detent is retracted into the cavity 16 by the spring 22 so that the handleis free to be moved from On to 011 positions of the switch actuator 5. When it is desired to latch the handle 8 in the Off position of the actuator 5, the handle is swung'to align the detent finger 23 with the slot 26. The detent 20 is then rotated manually clockwise against the force of the biasing spring 22 to dispose the detent finger 23 in the slot 26.

' To provide for locking the detent in a latching position,-

the plate or detent 20 is provided with an elongated slot 28 which, in the normally retracted position of the detent is disposed within the cavityv 16 between the walls 17.

. The detent 20 is first rocked clockwise until the arcuate edge 20a clears the top wall 18 and the chordal edge 20b is about horizontal and can pass lineally beneath the outer end of the top wall 18. The detent 20 is then pulled outwardly, to the right in FIG. 6, so that the pivot 19 rests in the innermost end of the .slot 21, thereby disposing the detent in the extended position for latching. In this position the slot 28 is exposed exteriorally of the outer end 15 of the handle. The slot.28, when thus-exposed, receives one or more padlock hasps, as indicated at 29. Generally it islongenough to receive three padlock hasps, any one or more of which, when disposed in the slot, engage the outer end face of the outer end 15 of the handle and thereby secures the detent 20 against returnto the retracted unlatched' position. T

The detent is constrained by a single hasp from lineal movement to the left in FIG. 6. It is constrained by the hasp to swing about a pivotal axis at the innermost end of the slot 21fand hence cannot swing to-retracted position because of the interference of the chordal edge 20b with the outer end of the wall 18, due to the fact that the chordal edge 20b is disposed at theend of a longer radius in the new position of the pivot 19 at the innerend of the 'of a cover or door of a switch enclosure, fuse box, and the like. Forexample, the actuator can be connected to the cover latch so that the handle 8 could be held by the detent 20 in a locking position when the actuator has moved the door latch to latching position.

The present structure is particularly desirable for enclosures of the molded case circuit breaker type. i It is apparent" from the foregoing description that an extremely simple and reliable handle latching or locking assembly is provided. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. An enclosure for electrical equipment and having an external wall;

an actuator within the enclosure for actuating equipment therein; i an exterior operating hand member; supporting means supporting the handle member for swinging about a predetermined axis along a predetermined path; means drivingly connecting the handle member and actuator for driving the actuator by swinging of the handle memberabout said axis; i a latching detent member; pivot means connecting the detent member to the handle member for swinging with the handle member along said path, and for rocking movement relative .to the handlemember transversely of said path in a direction toward and away from the wall, to extended and retracted positions, respectively, and for bodily movement of the detent member radially of said axis to inward and outward positions, respectively; abutment means on the enclosure and positioned so that the detent member passes into and out of alignment therewith during swinging ofthe handle along its path, and arranged to clearthe detent member, -while the detent member is in said retracted position, during swinging of the .handle member along its path, and to engage the detent member in latching relation when the detent member is moved to its said extended positionwhile aligned with the abutment means; characterized in that a said detent member has'a slot adapted to receive at least one padlock hasp when the slot isac cessible to a workman;

obstructing means are providedon the handle member and are arranged to obstruct access to the slot when the detent member is in its retracted position; V said slot is positioned so that it is unobstructed by the obstructing means when the detent member is in its outward position; and

shoulder means are provided on the handle member and positioned to be engaged by a hasp in said slot and, when so engaged, to constrain the detent from movement to retracted position.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the supporting means support the handle member so that the path of the detent, while swinging with the handle member, is alongside and close to the outer face of the wall;

the abutment means comprise a slot in said wall opening toward the handle member and which can receive a portion of the detent when the detent is extended while aligned with the slot.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said enclosure has an access opening and cover normally closing said opening;

the external wall portion is the front wall of cover;

the supporting means are carried by the cover and support the handle for swinging about an axis generally normal to said front wall; and

said abutment means are the walls of a slot which is in said front wall and opens toward the handle.

4. The structure according to claim 1 further characterized in that the pivot means is a pivot connected to one of the members;

the other of the members has an elongated pivot slot;

said pivot engages the pivot slot and thereby supports the other of the members for rocking about the pivotal axis and is movable back and forth transversely of its axis along said pivot slot from one end of the pivot slot to the other.

5. The structure according to claim 4 further characterized in that said handle member has a positioning wall portion;

the detent member has a complementary wall portion normally operative to engage the positioning wall portion when the pivot is at one end of the pivot slot, to limit the detent member to rocking movement relative to the handle member about the axis of the pivot, and to constrain the detent member from radially outward movement relative to the handle member, and operative when the complementary wall portion of the detent member has been moved clear of the positioning wall portion of the handle member by rocking of the detent member to latching position, to permit said movement of the detent member.

6. The structure according to claim 5 characterized in that said detent member has a detent latching wall portion which is positioned by movement of said detent member in said outward position to engage a portion of the handle member and prevent rocking of the detent member about the pivot to said retracted position while the detent memher is in the outward position.

7. The structure according to claim 4 wherein a biasing spring interconnects the members and biases the detent member to rock toward said retracted and to slide toward said inward positions.

8. The structure according to claim 7 wherein the hasp receiving slot is elongated endwise, and the slots extend endwise in the directions which are approximately 90 to each other.

9. The structure according to claim 1 further characterized in that the handle member has a hub portion and a hand grip portion extending radially therefrom;

the actuator is drivingly connected to the hub member;

and

the detent member is connected to the outer end of the hand grip portion.

10. The structure according to claim 9 wherein the outer end of the handle has a recess therein; and

the detent is mounted in said recess.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,186,038 6/1916 Ramsey et al 292-218 1,696,754 12/ 1928 Eller 220-24 1,719,272 7/1929 Lee 70-212 2,695,934 11/ 1954 Willis 200- 2,737,044 3/1956 Christensen et al. -84 3,338,611 8/ 1967 Bertovich et al. 292281 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

